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apache tears obsidian
apache tears are a form of obsidian (volcanic glass). usually it's found
in little egg-like nodules, thrown off by an eruption kind of like a geode or
thunderegg i expect.. often you find it untumbled, tho it rarely looks like
shiny glass in this state due to a bit of ash & wear. it's said to be a
"gentler" form of obsidian. this is probably because it's not (that i've
tumbled anyway) actually black obsidian but a form of smoky clear.
untumbled, it's rather opaque from wear & time. tumbled, however, it's
much more translucent & looks like lightly tinted glass, unlike black
obsidian, which appears much more opaque & is usually translucent only if
cut thinly. the properties of apache tears & smoky clear are therefore
much the same, tho of course the exact proprties of smoky clear (like any
other stone) are further modified by point of origin & exact chemical
make-up. you can find smoky clear as an admixture in many forms of
obsidian. i've found it common in itself or mixed with gold & silver sheen
at glass butte, oregon, for example. this tends to have a brown, reddish
brown (iron) or black tinge to it. smoky clear can also be seen with a slight
greenish tinge, as in some mexican rainbow obsidian. rainbow obsidian
mixed with smoky clear is also a "gentler" form of obsidian, as is midnight
lace (a mix of clear or tinted clear, black & orange). it should be noted
however that most obsidian will be gentler if kept clean.
apache tears & smoky clear are good room-cleaning stones. they may
be a bit less "noisy" than black obsidian. i've found they "hunt" smudges
like black obsidian, tho their "hunting" range might not be as wide as the
black (which may seek smudges in other rooms if it has nothing better to
do). for short-range smudge-seeking however, the smoky clear may do
better than a darker rainbow obsidian, which tends to be a little lazy.
in little egg-like nodules, thrown off by an eruption kind of like a geode or
thunderegg i expect.. often you find it untumbled, tho it rarely looks like
shiny glass in this state due to a bit of ash & wear. it's said to be a
"gentler" form of obsidian. this is probably because it's not (that i've
tumbled anyway) actually black obsidian but a form of smoky clear.
untumbled, it's rather opaque from wear & time. tumbled, however, it's
much more translucent & looks like lightly tinted glass, unlike black
obsidian, which appears much more opaque & is usually translucent only if
cut thinly. the properties of apache tears & smoky clear are therefore
much the same, tho of course the exact proprties of smoky clear (like any
other stone) are further modified by point of origin & exact chemical
make-up. you can find smoky clear as an admixture in many forms of
obsidian. i've found it common in itself or mixed with gold & silver sheen
at glass butte, oregon, for example. this tends to have a brown, reddish
brown (iron) or black tinge to it. smoky clear can also be seen with a slight
greenish tinge, as in some mexican rainbow obsidian. rainbow obsidian
mixed with smoky clear is also a "gentler" form of obsidian, as is midnight
lace (a mix of clear or tinted clear, black & orange). it should be noted
however that most obsidian will be gentler if kept clean.
apache tears & smoky clear are good room-cleaning stones. they may
be a bit less "noisy" than black obsidian. i've found they "hunt" smudges
like black obsidian, tho their "hunting" range might not be as wide as the
black (which may seek smudges in other rooms if it has nothing better to
do). for short-range smudge-seeking however, the smoky clear may do
better than a darker rainbow obsidian, which tends to be a little lazy.
smoky clear obsidian